


A Winter's Song

by TheUnkindledQueen



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Eventual Romance, F/M, Minor Violence, Rime Sombra, mountain man mccree - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:13:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21974887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUnkindledQueen/pseuds/TheUnkindledQueen
Summary: Jesse McCree wanted a life all to himself in the mountains. It wasn't until he crossed paths with a spirit of legend that it would change.
Relationships: Jesse McCree/Sombra | Olivia Colomar
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> "I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."
> 
> ― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
> 
> "I love you because no two snowflakes are alike, and it is possible, if you stand tippy-toe, to walk between the raindrops."
> 
> ― Nikki Giovanni

~o~

Jesse awoke in the driver's seat of his truck with a small snort, mumbling and rubbing his face with one hand. He had parked off to the side of the road to rest; he had his truck loaded with everything for his trip to his cabin in the Swiss mountains, where he'd make a permanent home for himself. That fresh mountain air, the hunting he could do. It was the perfect escape from his life behind him.

"Shit...what time is...?" Jesse stared at the time on the dashboard. It read 11:44. It was about noon.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to hit a station near by.

Jesse switched on the radio for some music and it began to play "Smoky Mountain Rain" by Ronnie Milsap. He grinned and clapped his hands on the steering wheel in time with the song as he sang aloud to it. It made the morning nice and pleasant. He'd been driving for a long time, just listening to his music and making pit-stops along the way.

There was a shop on the right of the road and Jesse pulled into it. Once parked, he stepped out and walked into the store. It was small and smelled like wet fur, but he didn't mind it. He wandered to the coolers to grab a few drinks and noticed the younger man behind the counter watching a woman with a timid smile.

Jesse raised an eyebrow when he caught the look. Ah, he remembered the days when he'd been too shy to talk to pretty women.

He grabbed his drinks, picked up a few bags of chips and set them on the counter to pay for them before indicating the woman with a flick of his head/

"She's just human. Why don't you go over there and talk to her?" Jesse suggested, his tone hushed.

The man laughed weakly, meeting Jesse's eyes before he shook his head. "Talk to her? What? What in the world would I say?" he asked, uneasy.

"Hell, I don't know," Jesse shrugged his shoulder, leaned on the counter and glanced back at the woman who seemed interested in a magazine now. "Tell her about yourself. Always a good place to start."

The man waved him off. He definitely wasn't as confident as Jesse was. "Nah, she probably grew up with vacation homes, and guys like me fixing their toilets."

"Aww, come on, now. You gotta have some faith in yourself." Jesse glanced at the name tag the man wore on his shirt pocket. "Uh...'Ted'."

Ted smiled a little, nodding. "You're right. I'll go talk to her."

He started to go, but Jesse stopped him with one hand, gesturing to his items on the counter. Ted laughed sheepishly and nodded.

"Right. After this, then." he said.

Jesse left the store, whistling to himself and opening the bag of chips. He walked to his truck, glanced up toward the mountain he had planned to go - his new cabin home. Jesse smiled at the thought of it; finally, he'd have a place for himself to start his new life.

Just then, a video call went through and he sighed, staring down at his dashboard when he climbed into the truck. It was coming from Amari. She was probably calling him to convince him to come back to Overwatch - she'd spent almost an hour trying to talk him into staying when he announced he'd be leaving off on his own.

It wasn't polite to ignore her call, however, so he decided to answer it. Ana's face lit up from a tiny, holographic projected screen.

"My answer's still the same, Amari." Jesse spoke before she could.

Ana sighed, her features wrinkling with amusement. " _I wasn't going to convince you further, Jesse._ " she told him. " _I was calling to see how the trip was going._ "

Jesse let out a short laugh. "Sure you were."

Ana sighed gently now. " _Jesse, you can't blame yourself for what happened._ "

Jesse's features clouded in thought now; he pursed his lips, refused to look at her. "Who said anything about blaming?" he asked, tone softer. "This is just me forging ahead and looking to the future."

Ana stared at him sympathetically. " _I know. I know how you do things, Jesse. I just hope one day, you find what you need and maybe we'll meet again._ "

"Sure..." Jesse replied, "There's always Christmas."

He laughed gently and ended the conversation by shutting off the video. But Ana's words echoed in his mind, distracting him for the remainder of the trip.

Running? Him? Hah.

O

Jesse pulled up to the small cabin and noticed the little fence where two sheep where waiting. Jesse laughed and stepped out of the truck, walking up to the fence and patting one of the sheep along its side. It gave a small bleating sound and he laughed.

"Well, look at that!" he said, to himself, "They already brought you here."

He looked at the little round bells around their necks and the tags of their names hanging alongside them. "Cotton Ball" and "Puff". Well, they weren't original names, but still a little cute - even he had to admit that.

"Well, who knows..." Jesse continued, "Maybe I'll get us a goat or something."

He made his way up the steps of the cabin and unlocked the door with a simple swipe of the keycard. Stepping inside, he studied the details; enormous fireplace, hardwood floor and tall ceiling with windows. It reminded him a lot of the home he had in America. It had been a comfortable farm a lot like this cabin and even had a similar fireplace where he could kick back and listen to his father's stories.

The kitchen was small, but suitable for a man of his needs. After all, he was living by himself and had no one he really needed to worry about. There were a few cups, plates and bowls still in the cabinets that he could use, but he'd buy a few more in time.

Still, despite everything, it was one hell of a buy.

He thought about heading into the little town later - Zermatt, he remembered it named - at the bottom of the mountain later to buy some hunting supplies and maybe some groceries for his place. But he was definitely planning on resting by the fireplace first after that long trip on the road.

Jesse took a seat in the chair, gathered some wood sitting in the pile nearby and set it into the fireplace. After a few attempts at lighting it, it started up in a nice, comfortable blaze. He chuckled and sat back in his chair, removing a cigar and setting it into his mouth.

"Well...looks like we got the rest of our lives to work it all out, don't we?" he murmured, to himself.

Ana's words still lingered in his mind.

He thought about what happened long ago, but didn't want to think on it for much longer.

_It's in the past_.

_Let it stay there_.

O

Jesse was immediately stopped at the gates of Zermatt when he pulled up in his truck. An officer standing in a booth walked out and raised a hand, knocking on the window. Jesse brought it down and shrugged his shoulders.

"Something wrong, officer?" he asked.

"I'm obligated to inform you and any tourists arriving in Zermatt that this is a combustion-engine car-free zone. Electric vehicles are allowed for local commerces, but not in the Old Village." the officer explained, in a thick accent. "I just need an inspection of your vehicle, sir."

Jesse made a face. That was ridiculous. "Nobody uses combustion engines anymore."

"You'd be surprised, sir." the officer replied, beginning to look over the truck and all of its details. He pried the hood open and peered inside. "We have a lot of classic cars people bring here for tourism and shows."

Jesse pondered that with a thoughtful noise. Well, car shows were kind of interesting. Maybe he'd stop by some time to check them out. Then, he tilted his head. "Hey, you know where I can get hunting gear?"

"In town at Bahnhofstrasse, there's a hunting shop beside the Brown Cow Pub. You can't miss it." The officer patted the hood once when he closed it. "Everything appears in order. You may go ahead in."

"Thank you kindly." Jesse tipped his hat and drove through the gate.

The officer watched him go before shaking his head. "Americans..."

Jesse made his way into town, looking around at the tourists and locals as they passed by as well as the shops lining the streets. There was plenty for him to see and he definitely took interest in the Brown Cow Pub the officer had described. Hopefully they had good beer. It was hard to find a good drinking place sometimes.

He parked his truck at the side of the road and stopped into the store next to the Pub; it smelled of wood and strong cleaner. Jesse looked around at the hunting gear on the shelves and walls, including a variety of weapons locked behind cabinets. Nothing could compare to his trusty Peacekeeper.

"Ah! _Guten Tag!_ " the man behind the counter greeted. "What can I help you with?"

"Hey." Jesse waved at him once. "Just looking to get some hunting gear. I was told you were the best in town."

"You were told right, my American friend. You've come to the right place," the man said, with a smile, "Deer are in season and no shop sells better equipment than Leonhard's!"

"You're Leonhard, then?"

"I am. I have crossbows and - "

Jesse shook his head. "Nah. I got my own heat right here." he told him, patting his holstered six-shooter.

Leonhard leaned to one side to look at the weapon before he laughed a little. "Using a six-shooter to kill deer? Well, aren't you creative!"

Jesse laughed with him. "Always was."

"So..." Leonhard began, watching as Jesse wandered around the shop. "They say an American bought the cabin up north. I'm going to assume that was you."

"You assume right." Jesse replied, studying the crossbow on the wall. "Always wanted a nice, cozy place of my own. Gonna do just what my daddy always taught me and live off the land carefree."

Leonhard made a face, his tone softening a little. "Then I wish you the best of luck on your task. The forest is haunted by spirits. No one goes up north anymore."

Jesse looked back at him, grinning and shaking his head. "Don't pull my leg, old man. Ain't no such thing."

"Yes, yes, that's what everyone says when I tell them," Leonhard said. "They say it like _'Der Typ is Irre!'_ But I know the truth. I saw it."

"Sure you did."

Jesse didn't buy into legends of spirits and anything supernatural, not even from his friends. He knew things as they were laid out in front of him. But Leonhard was absolutely serious about it. Who knew, really. Maybe the old man was just convinced of it and it had been something else.

"It has blue skin like ice..." Leonhard continued, mystified now as he spoke, making gestures with his hands, "Hair white as the snow... Eyes like an animal. It whispers to the beasts in the hills! I saw it once when I was wandering the mountains and it laughed at me, took what little food I had and left me alone."

"Sounds like this big scary mountain ghost just let you live."

Leonhard shook his head, not catching onto Jesse's sarcastic tone. "No, it's not just that. It's - "

"Alright, alright," Jesse interrupted, smiling a little, "I'll keep my eyes peeled for a blue ghost with white hair while I'm up there. Just give me some of those bait traps you got behind the counter."

Leonhard didn't think about arguing with him any more and retrieved the items in question. Jesse indicated a few more things of interest before he left the store with his equipment. Once outside, he placed everything in the bed of his truck before he noticed a little girl staring up at him.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked.

"Friend of mine lost his and I always admired it. Figured I'd get one of my own."

"Did you lose it in a gunfight?" the girl asked, eyes widening with delight. "My mama tells me Americans always have gunfights."

"Your mama's right."

"I knew it!"

Then, she looked back as her mother called for her in German. She rushed off to her and Jesse watched them go, entering a grocery store across the street. Jesse chuckled, shook his head before another thought came to him; the talk about spirits in the mountains, anyway. It was probably just a dumb story, but it did make him wonder why the cabin had been empty for a long time. After all, he'd gotten it cheap and the original owner had been eager to give it to him. It could have been an Omnic trying to keep humans away. Jesse had seen that kind of thing before.

Either way, he could handle it.

O

It was getting colder as Jesse cut up wood for his fireplace.

It wouldn't be long before winter appeared around the corner; he had to get a good bit of hunting in before that happened.

He took a few more swings at the stump before he looked up toward the sky; the sun was beginning to set, so it was probably a better idea to finish up. He huffed out a sound, gathered the wood under one arm and started back for his cabin. He even started humming a song to himself along the way.

It would be good to get started on hunting tomorrow. After all, he had planned on all kinds of food he'd make with a fresh kill.

Then, Jesse's mind wandered to the past; when he younger and living among the Deadlock gang. He didn't know what made him think about it. Being alone did have a bad habit of having his mind wander, after all. Maybe that was a good enough reason to drink up before bed.

_"Come on, Jesse. Just one more."_

_"Ahh hell, Ashe. It ain't worth it."_

_"Any score that leads to a good haul is always worth it."_

_Jesse sighed, kicked up his feet. "She's old, Ashe. And here I thought we had standards above the rest."_

_B.O.B had been working on Ashe's bike off to the side when he lifted his eyes, toward the man, then to Ashe. The woman was also leaned back in her chair, smirking at Jesse's hesitation._

_"She's old, but not old enough for what she did. She doesn't deserve what she's got, Jesse. Not like us."_

_"Sorry," Jesse answered, with a shrug, "Robbing old ladies just ain't my thing."_

_Ashe groaned with dismay, slouching her shoulders. "Aww, come on!" she argued. "There's no stoppin' me once I get into a rhythm!"_

_"You always were the ambitious one."_

_Ashe let out a short laugh. "You make that sound like a bad thing. You'd still be on a farm if it weren't for me."_

_"Sometimes, it doesn't feel like a bad thing..."_

Jesse sighed to himself. Sure, things had ended on a rough patch with the gang, but he had to admit there were some charms to it he missed; after all, he'd ended up in situations worse than them once he'd left the gang. Things had been simpler then.

The wind billowed gently around him, halting him in his steps.

Jesse frowned, feeling an odd sensation creep up his back as he paused and looked over his shoulder. Somehow, he sensed eyes watching him from the forest; it could have been animals for all he knew, but this particular feeling felt different somehow.

Jesse's free hand rested at the holster of his weapon and he pursed his lips, eyes scanning the trees for signs of trouble. He saw nothing move and yet, still felt as if someone was there.

He grunted thoughtfully, but made his way back to the cabin. Once inside, he closed the door behind him, set the wood into the pile near the fireplace, and then walked to the window where he looked outside. It was already getting dark and it would be his first night alone in the mountains before he went hunting.

Maybe there was something about this forest after all. He always trusted his gut instinct when it told him something was up.

Still, it had to just be another human playing pranks or an Omnic who wanted to be left alone.

That's always how it ended up.


	2. Maravillarse

~o~

Jesse studied the trap with a sigh. It was meant to capture smaller animals, but it remained empty, the food sitting inside of it, untouched.

Nothing.

Not a single thing all day.

"Goddamn it..." he griped, rising to his feet.

He thought about fishing by the lake down the hill, so he wandered back to his cabin and gathered a pole leaning against the wall near the fireplace. There was a case where he kept the tackles, lures and bait. He gathered it and stepped outside, looking around before taking in a deep breath of that mountain air. Well, he wasn't about to be discouraged by a little hiccup.

He wandered down the hill toward the lake. Taking a seat at the edge of the water, he began to set up the fishing pole, but paused and looked over his shoulder with a frown.

That feeling came back again.

Jesse scanned the forest, spotting a golden eagle perched nearby, preening its feathers, but nothing out of the ordinary; just trees and wild animals around him. Well, anyone would be stupid trying to sneak up on him, so he kept his hand on his gun holster just in case.

" _Guten Morgen!_ "

Jesse abruptly whirled with his weapon pointed and the man who had greeted him - dressed in a delivery uniform - let out a yelp and took cover behind a tree. Jesse sighed, lowered his gun and waited until the terrified man was finished whimpering in streams of German before he spoke.

"Goddamn it, do you have a death wish?" he snapped. "I could have blown your head off."

" _Es tut mir Leid!_ " the man told him, carefully peering out from behind the tree, "It's just... I have a package for you. A delivery from one..." He looked down at a holographic display that projected itself from his wrist watch. "Ana Amari. I just need a signature from you."

Jesse nodded and stood up. "Well, alright then."

Once he signed the electronic signature on the holographic image, he was offered a box and sat down once more near the lake to open it. It was a metal case with a few clasps that only needed to be pressed before opening.

Inside, Jesse found a few things; some of his favorite snacks, a couple of tools that would be useful around the cabin and a letter. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and opened it, studying Ana's intricate handwriting.

_Jesse,_

_I have a few things here that might be helpful to you, including some of your favorite snacks you liked to eat around the base. A lot of us pitched in to buy these. Angela insisted that I also remind you to take good care of yourself while you're away. She tells me she will fly all the way there if she must. Maybe we will stop by for Christmas and see how you are fairing._

_Stay safe, Jesse._

_Ella Al-leqaa_

_Ana Amari_

Jesse smiled a little, folding the letter and setting it back into the box. They had their hearts in the right place and he believed that the doc would absolutely come flying over to patch him up if she believed he was in trouble. But Jesse had to do things on his own. That's just how it was for him and how he'd always done it.

Still, seeing some of his favorite jerky snacks wasn't something he was going to complain about. So he opened one of the bags, took a bite of one and sat there to continue fishing.

He began to sing a song to himself as he did.

O

The pub wasn't too bad.

Jesse had ordered a beer and leaned against the counter, listening to the chatter around him and watching a few of the town locals wandering inside. The beer didn't taste quite as bad either and he didn't mind the atmosphere and general surroundings. It wasn't like Calaveras where he frequently visited, but it was decent enough for him.

"You catch anything yet?"

Jesse glanced over at a man sitting across the counter from him. He was smiling and looking at him, but the look didn't seem mocking in any way. He just seemed to be genuinely curious and Jesse didn't mind the small talk.

"Nah, not yet." he replied, with a small shrug.

"The deer don't migrate up that way," the man explained, "A few marmots might still be running around, but you'd be lucky to catch anything with the land being cursed and all."

"Cursed." Jesse quipped, rolling his eyes and taking a drink from his glass. "So now we got ghosts and curses. Got it."

"It's all true! It's why the land was untouched until you came along, my American friend."

"Let me guess," Jesse began, skeptically, "The big blue ghost keeps everyone away from the land I bought, right?"

A sage nod from the bartender now. He didn't acknowledge the jibe from the other man. "That's right. Everyone knows the thing that lurks in those woods is no good. If I were you, I'd leave before it kills you. Or worse, eats you alive. That's what it does, you know."

Jesse leaned his cheek into his hand and shook his head. "Yeah, sure. I'll take my chances. Ain't a man alive I couldn't handle. I'm sure not tucking tail and running because of superstition."

He took a drink, gave a half-salute before departing the pub. Once outside, he walked down the street, noticed a sign in the distance for the Old Village that was closed off to the public. Frowning thoughtfully, he made his way toward it before he was stopped by an older woman. She yelled in German and Jesse sighed, shaking his head when she took his arm.

"Lady, I don't understand much German," he said.

She indicated the Old Village, then the sign before looking at him and sharply shaking her head.

Jesse's features darkened now. "Something bad happened there?"

Two officers approached them now and one cleared his throat, gaining Jesse's attention. "She says the Old Village is cursed," one of them explained, in a thick accent, "But it's just closed to the public for now. After the fire there last night, no one's allowed inside."

"Fire?" Jesse questioned.

"The Rime." the other officer joked. "That's what the townspeople like to believe did it."

"The Rime." Jesse pondered the name. "That's your ghost, right?"

The two officers nodded. "Correct." the first one explained, "The Rime is the spirit of the mountains who they believe causes mischief and torment in its wake. But it's an old, ridiculous tale to scare the tourists and the children. No one's seen it but Leonhard and no one believes him."

The second officer scoffed at the mention of the spirit. "There's no Rime spirit. Leonhard rolled down that hill and shit himself scared."

Another officer approached them now, frowning at the two. "The Rime is real."

"No, it's not."

"Yes it is. I've seen it."

The first officer laughed skeptically. "You've seen it?"

"Yes." the third officer argued.

"You've seen the Rime?"

"Yes."

"You haven't seen it."

The second officer made a face and glanced briefly at Jesse, who looked bored with this argument. "You've seen a blue spirit of frost and mischief who stalked you in the dead of night and laughed at your misfortune?"

"I know what I saw!"

Jesse had grown bored with the conversation, so he made his way passed the gates of the Old Village and made his way inside to see what had happened. He couldn't help himself; the fire had come shortly after he'd arrived and if something was going on, he had to know what it was.

The officers were still arguing behind him, so he was able to pass into the Old Village without being stopped. The homes here were much lower in quality compared to the rest of the town; houses frozen in time as a living museum of the past.

Jesse looked around with a thoughtful sound, stopping at one home in particular. It had its windows blasted out by what looked like a gunshot. He frowned and approached it, running his fingers across the seared wood. The marks left were iron particles, which was the absolute strangest thing. He'd never seen that sort of thing used before, not even with his own weapon.

"Like I said, there's no such thing that can match - Hey!"

Jesse looked over his shoulder when the officers rushed over to him, brandishing their weapons now. He raised two hands and chuckled slightly, glancing down at the guns.

"Hey, I'm sorry. It's just...you know your story didn't quite add up to me," he explained, "Figured I'd check it out myself and see what I could learn."

The officers studied him suspiciously.

"What's your business here, Cowboy?" the first officer asked.

"And no lies!" the second one added.

Jesse raised an eyebrow with a smile. "None? Alright, you got me." He shrugged his shoulders. "I just thought I would move here in the middle of nowhere and find myself a nice, cozy life in the mountains. But now, ya'll got me questioning just what is really going on here, so I took it upon myself to sniff around a little."

"I said, no lies!" the second officer snapped.

The third officer frowned at him now. "I think he's telling the truth."

"If he were telling truth he wouldn't have told us."

Jesse exhaled, rolling his eyes now. They argued in snippets of German before the first officer regarded Jesse. "I will not see you here again," he warned, "If I catch you trespassing, I'll have you arrested, _verstehen?_ "

"Yeah. I hear ya'."

O

They were hiding something in that village.

Jesse thought about it as he studied the two marmots he'd caught in his trap that afternoon. They'd make a decent lunch, but he wasn't too sure about it. Something just felt off today and he couldn't take his mind away from what he'd seen at the Old Village. There hadn't been a fire. Someone had fired off guns in that village for some reason and for another, the officers lied about it.

The subject of the Rime was an interesting one, too. Maybe he would look into it as he made his way to the cabin and prepared his lunch.

It took almost the entire afternoon to clean and cook the marmots; he'd worked up an appetite and there hadn't been much meat to really fill him, but it was enough until he caught bigger game.

Jesse took the food and sat down in his chair, looking at a small computer screen he'd left open and decided to look around for the legend of the "Rime". Something about how the townspeople had been handling it made him slowly question just what he could be dealing with.

Spirits weren't real, but maybe it wasn't a spirit.

Jesse searched his computer and found very little on the legends of the town, but the Rime was briefly mentioned in the folklore database. There wasn't much for him to go on, but it was a good enough start. Maybe if he understood the legend a little, he could figure out what was going on.

_A Rime entity is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter, and freezing cold. This particular being is believed to be held responsible for frosty weather, nipping the fingers and toes in such weather, coloring the foliage in autumn, and leaving fern-like patterns on cold windows in winter._

_It is traditionally said to leave the frosty, fern-like patterns on windows on cold winter mornings (window frost or fern frost) and nipping the extremities in cold weather._

_Starting in late 19th century literature, more developed characterizations of the Rime depicted is of a sprite-like character, sometimes appearing as a sinister mischief-maker or as a hero._

Jesse made a thoughtful noise. Well, that didn't quite tell him much, so he continued his search and came up with a few things that were interesting.

_Approach a Rime entity with caution. They abandoned their humanity long ago._

_Most supernatural entities of this nature are wounded by iron or silver, the Rime is no different in this regard. Iron will cripple the being in smaller doses. But larger amounts will kill it._

Iron. Jesse thought of the iron dust particles he'd seen at the Old Village that shattered the window. Did they really believe that iron was a weakness of this thing?

_It's not real. It can't be real._

O

A deer watched the skies.

_The deer don't migrate up that way._

Well, they did today.

Jesse was kneeling in the grass, watching the animal with bated breath. His weapon was pointed right at it's heart. One shot was all he needed to bring the animal down. But his mind was filled with distractions; the Old Village, the rumors of the Rime spirit everyone in town was afraid of.

Focus. He had to focus.

"Alright, come on..." he whispered, watching the deer make its way closer to him. "Just a little bit - "

Something blurred passed his face and he let out a startled grunt, discharging his weapon. The sound cut loudly through the air and the deer was gone, galloping away. Jesse let out an angry, frustrated sound and gave chase. He followed the fleeing animal through bushes, passed trees until losing sight of it over the nearest hill.

Jesse groaned, throwing his hands in the air before he glanced down, noticing a puddle of blood at his feet. He must have hit the deer and it was running wounded. If that were the case, it would eventually slow enough for him to capture and finish it.

He slowly tracked the trail of blood he found, along with broken branches and torn bushes.

"Where'd you go?" Jesse pondered to himself. "Come on, now. Don't much like losing."

He smelled the blood in the air - much heavier now, which meant it was closer. Maybe it had tired out and laid down somewhere.

_"Come on now, boy! Pull the damn trigger!"_

_"But..."_

_"Be a man! Put it out of its misery!"_

Jesse could hear his father's words echoing as he remembered his first time hunting with him. He'd been a kid and like all kids, cried when animals were hurt. He had pulled the trigger and missed the vital shot needed to end the deer's life quickly. It had laid there in the bed of grass, slowly bleeding out and suffering. His father had absolutely disapproved of his failed attempt.

His father always liked to point that out.

Well, his father was dead now. So there wasn't much point in dwelling on those memories.

Jesse made his way through the brush before he froze in his spot when the temperature abruptly dropped. He held his arm close to his chest with a shudder, looking down when he noticed the puff of his breath. The chill had come from nowhere and even though winter was well on its way, this was an unnatural cold.

Something wasn't right about it.

He glanced up at the soft, amused laughter that filled the air before his eyes widened.

A woman was standing there; her skin was blue, icy patterns peppering her cheeks, thighs and arms. There was the strangest thing about the body armor that she wore and the claws on her hands and her bare feet. He'd never seen a woman look as striking as this one, especially when she had two white wolves standing at her side, her eyes bright and her irises thin, like the eyes of a cat.

She just watched him.

Jesse hadn't moved. He wasn't sure if he even breathed.

She smiled a little, tilted her head with a thoughtful noise in her throat. The two wolves at her side bared their teeth at Jesse, but made no move to attack him.

"Hey." Jesse finally managed to say.

When he dared take one step toward her, she immediately frowned and vanished in a flicker of violet light like a skiddish doe; leaving him alone in the woods, stunned by what he'd seen. He'd never seen anything or anyone quite like her before; she was beautiful, despite everything about her. Jesse wasn't a blind man, he could see that.

Still, it left him questioning everything he'd doubted about the legends the townsfolk told him.

"What in the holy hell...?" he whispered, to himself.

The sharp, intense cold in his chest had vanished along with her.

When he returned to the cabin, he couldn't take his eyes away from the sight of the woods from his window, unsure if he'd see the woman there watching him again. It had already grown dark and he lost interest in the deer completely. It was all he could think about now - the woman he saw watching him. She didn't strike him as a ghost, but he had no idea what she was.

Had that been her? Really?

_The Rime._


	3. Shadows of Ice

~o~

He was sitting there like an idiot.

Jesse had been at that spot where he'd seen her most of the morning, sitting on a tree stump and watching for signs of the woman and icy cold. But he'd been there for a while now and glancing at his watch showed it had been at least an hour.

He sighed, slapped his hands on his knees and rose. "Ugh, must be outta my mind."

Jesse made his way back up the hill, but could make out the sounds of chatter and removed his weapon from its holster, shielding himself behind a tree. He frowned, noticing a few men in hunting gear wandering by, talking in German. He had no idea what they were saying, but they seemed to be anxious, afraid and even heavily armed.

He waited, watching them from his hiding spot before they departed, seemingly searching for something. But they didn't see him.

Jesse continued on back toward his cabin, wondering just what was going on around here. But the sound of deep growling froze him in place. He saw something shift, move behind the bushes before rearing up onto two legs; covered in thick brown fur.

His eyes widened. "Oh, shit."

A brown bear. It was unheard of that one would be here in the alps. He thought they'd been hunted to extinction, but it was right here; black eyes leering at him, mouth open and filled with razor teeth, claws at the ready to tear him to pieces.

Jesse backed away slowly, carefully. He had read about how to deal with bears and he didn't want to end up in a fight with one.

He took another step back, tripped over a root and stumbled, arms flailing as he fell, tumbling down a hill. He rolled several times before finally finding his end at the bottom. The bear above didn't give a single chase and simply wandered away.

Jesse laid there, grumbling to himself. "Goddamn it." he snapped.

Just then, the sound of a gun clicking behind Jesse made him still, and what came next was an icy cold in the air that had him shuddering deep in his bones. He quickly reached for his weapon, but came up with an empty holster, only to realize that whoever stood above and behind him had his weapon pressed into his back. A smile lit the voice of the one wielding his gun.

"Little distracted there, _vaquero_?"

Jesse swallowed thickly, raising two hands above him. "Hey, come on, now. We can work something out, lady." he said, spitting out a mouthful of grass. "Let's just talk it over."

She had an accent to her voice and she sounded young. Jesse didn't want to test anything just yet and thought he'd wait before speaking.

She seemed to be interested in studying his gun and made a thoughtful sound. "Hm, no iron pellets. Which means you're not with them, are you?"

Jesse staggered to his feet and started to turn around, but the gun pressed insistently to his back and his hands shot up in the air. Yeah, she absolutely meant business.

"Nah-ah, keep your back to me," the woman warned, with a smile in her voice.

Jesse cleared his throat, shut his eyes for a moment before he spoke. "So...you're really what everyone's talking about, huh?" he said. "Say...are you some kind of... ghost?"

There was a sound of static and the woman vanished in a stream of violet light. Then, she reappeared in front of him, still holding his gun. Her cat-like eyes widened and she grinned, leaned into his face with a "boo!"

Jesse frowned now, eyeing her up and down. She paced around him now, still holding his gun in her hand. "Nice piece you have here. But if you weren't here for me, why were you here?"

"I was, well, at first," Jesse admitted, "But ma'am, I wasn't aiming to kill you. I heard a lot of stories in town about the Rime."

She groaned, slouching her shoulders. "Ugh, that's the name they STILL give me?"

Jesse made a face, but laughed softly. "Don't like it?"

She snorted now, but made no further comment. Jesse chuckled a bit, feeling the icy air diminish somewhat. He looked around, noticed the frozen grass at his feet gradually thawing a little. It was an interesting thing and one he thought about looking into. Maybe there were other things to her that he hadn't looked into just yet.

Or he thought about asking her.

_No, not yet._

"So, uh, what is your name, anyway?" Jesse asked, still not looking at her. "Figured that'd be a good place to start, huh?"

She was quiet for a moment, then smiled. "Sombra."

"Did you attack Leonhard?"

"The old guy?" She crowed with laughter now. "That little man took one look at me, screamed and tumbled down the hill - kind of like you did - shitting himself all the way down. Then, the dumb _chivato_ told everyone about me and made it look like I attacked him. Been hunted for it ever since."

Jesse actually laughed a little. "Really?"

"You should have seen him! Stumbling around. All I did was just walk by."

She muttered something in Spanish that Jesse didn't catch and he laughed a little. "Sorry. Don't know much Spanish except for what I learned in school."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Uhhh, _'dónde está el baño',_ " Jesse tried, with a small shrug, " _'Tienes queso'_?"

She was dead silent for a moment before cackling with laughter. Jesse looked over his shoulder, watching her doubled over, still wielding his gun and laughing hysterically. Jesse shared a laugh with her and that's how it stayed; the two laughing together over his poor Spanish.

Sombra suddenly looked up, beyond him, then winked and vanished in a blur of purple. Jesse looked stunned for a moment, watching as the icy chill departed before he looked over his shoulder, noticing the hunters making their way passed the hilltop. They didn't seem to notice him yet, but he knew now that the Rime - Sombra - was real.

"The dogs smell something! Go! Go!"

Jesse furrowed his brow, looked at the place she used to occupy before he made his way back to his cabin. He didn't know if he'd see her again. His gun had been left behind, so she had no interest in taking it. That was good, at least. His Peacekeeper was one of the few things in life he treasured.

But in a way, he hoped to see her again.

He saw then among the hunters were two of the officers who had stopped him at the Old Village gates and that just made his suspicions worse.

O

Olivia didn't know what to make of the cowboy.

She wouldn't speak her name she had once she had been human. No one knew who she was before except for her friend, Jean-Baptiste Augustin, who lived in the Old Village below ground where he could hide in plain sight after his escape from Talon's clutches.

He was at a table when she walked in and he sighed, not looking up from his work.

"Get into trouble again?" he asked.

"Hey, they shot me first." Olivia told him.

"AND they saw you." Baptiste sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Now, you have that shop guy chasing you down every night."

Olivia waved him off with one hand. "You know what you're problem is? You worry too much."

"And your problem is you don't worry enough."

"They never catch me."

Baptiste didn't see a point in arguing with her and instead, held up a circular device. Olivia wandered over to look at it and he smiled with pride.

"You remember the translocators you used when you were..." he began. He glanced up at her and she raised her eyebrows, questioning with a simple look. "Well, before. This'll project a fake image of you as a distraction. Help keep those dogs off of you for a while."

Olivia smiled her approval. "If you think it's necessary." she said, taking the device and turning it in her hands for study. "You didn't have to."

Still, the idea was neat. She would use it if she had to.

But there was another thing she had to look into.

The cowboy.

O

Jesse was in the market that afternoon.

He was studying an apple before he looked up, noticing the group of hunters making their way through the crowd of tourists. He furrowed his brow, watching them approach Leonhard, shake hands and make their way into his shop. He flipped the sign for OPEN to CLOSED and shut the blinds.

They had to be hiding something.

He'd hoped to move here to get away from any kind of problems, but he wasn't about to turn a blind eye to them either. He only had to look into it.

"Oh! Good afternoon!" an elderly woman made her way by him, feeling around for the fruit. "How do the apples look today?"

Jesse glanced down at her, smiling. "Lookin' good, ma'am."

She was blind; Jesse noticed the walking stick in her hand, the clouded look in her eyes and the scarring around her sockets. She smiled up at him and seemed to be in good spirits. "You sound like a nice young man. Would you mind carrying some of my bags for me to my apartment? It's just at the edge of town. Not far."

"Wouldn't mind at all." Jesse told her.

Once she seemed happy with a few bags of apples and oranges, Jesse was carrying them in both hands for her as they made their way down the street. They started talking once they did; she was interested in his life at the cabin and he saw no harm in talking with her about it.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Jesse, ma'am."

"Jesse. I'm Hilda. I've been here almost my entire my life when my parents moved here from Germany. I lost my sight during the Omnic Crisis." the woman explained, "A flash bang from one of their weapons hit me in the face. But still, I never had them fixed."

"Why's that?" Jesse asked.

Hilda exhaled now and she shook her head. "My eyes rarely saw good things, _Liebchen._ " she explained, "After all, I think it's a good reminder of that."

"Huh. Guess I can understand."

"I heard you purchased the land up north," Hilda seemed interested in changing the subject, "How are things going for you? It's not easy living there, as I understand."

She was interested to learn about him and he didn't question why; after all, she was probably a lonely old lady looking to talk to someone. He explained his effort to hunt, his work on the little bit of land he had. He also went on to talk about valuing quiet life and finding himself.

"...I've just been looking for a place to call my own," he said. "I've had a lot on my plate."

Hilda tilted her head. "It sounds to me like this little arrangement is an effort to fill a certain void in your life." she told him.

"Huh?" Jesse glanced down at her in surprise.

"Well...you sound like you're lonely."

That was a very strange comment and it made Jesse feel even stranger. He was never lonely a day in his life. He'd always been used to having to be on his own without much company. That was how life had been and how he had grown used to it.

But for some reason, it changed how he felt when she'd said it.

"I'm not alone. I see people every day when I come to town."

"Being alone and being lonely are two different things, Jesse." Hilda explained. "You can be among hundreds of people and still feel lonely."

"You talk like a shrink." Jesse remarked, smiling hesitantly.

Hilda chuckled now. "Well, you caught me. Before the Omnics, I once served as a psychiatrist in Berlin."

"Well, there's no void that needs filling here, ma'am."

"I mean, an emotional void, Jesse."

Jesse frowned thoughtfully now, not responding to that for a moment. The old woman took a deep breath and stepped down from the street to cross, her cane tapping away in front of her. Jesse followed beside her, waving toward a car to halt it as they passed.

"This you?" Jesse asked, looking up at the apartment building.

"This is me. I always remember because of the little dip in the steps here." she explained, tapping the stairs with her cane. "It's always funny the details we recall...the little things that stay with our memories, even when we've lost our sight."

Jesse didn't answer, but set the bags at her feet.

"Well, you seem like a friendly, kind young man," Hilda continued, "I hope we speak again sometime. I may be retired, but I am always willing to be a listening ear. Especially to someone who lives as you do."

Jesse frowned intensely at that, but tipped his hat. "Alright, then. I'll be seeing you."

He turned and walked away, but Hilda's words stuck with him.

O

Jesse dumped scraps into the bin for the sheep to eat.

He watched them, leaning against the wooden fence; his mind wandering to everything he'd seen and heard since he stayed there at the cabin. From Hilda's words to the suspicious hunters and Leonhard acting the way he did around them and now Sombra?

He walked to the porch of his cabin, sat down at the chair and looked out toward the horizon; he had a nice view of it from where he was and it definitely took his mind off of everything for a second. The air was colder here now and he shut his eyes before glancing upwards.

"Do you always bring cold with you wherever you go?" Jesse called out.

Olivia reappeared above him, hanging from the canopy with a grin. "Hm, not always."

"So..." Jesse leaned forward in his chair. "Guess it wouldn't be polite to ask what you are, would it?"

Olivia shrugged her shoulders with a murmur. "Mm, no. It's not polite." she told him. Her voice took on a sly drawl. "But that's fine, I get that a lot" She tapped her chin with a smile. "Though you're not the only one doing research on someone. I heard a lot about you."

"Don't know what you heard, but my name's not Joel. Best remember that."

"No, not that," Olivia continued, "I make it my point to understand everyone and everything." She began to pace behind him now. "You were an outlaw, Jesse McCree; but, you also try your best to do better after that. You started life as a farm boy in New Mexico and you like liquor and cookies."

Jesse chuckled, tilting his head. He was more interested in her knowledge of him than upset by the fact she'd known more than most. "What kind of cookies?"

"Chocolate chip. A lover of the classics."

He laughed now. "Damn straight."

Olivia's smile disappeared somewhat. "You also have a 60 million bounty on your head." Jesse's smile disappeared as well and Olivia laughed, shaking her head. " _Relájate,_ I'm not going to turn you in, cowboy. In fact, I think we can help each other out."

"Help each other out. So what do you think I need?"

"You want to find out what's going on in this town and I want to stop being hunted."

Jesse considered her offer for a moment more. "The hunters are on your tail quite a bit, I'm guessing?"

"They are. And they want me dead. But the way I see it, someone like you with your sense of justice can take care of that," Olivia explained, with a wry smile.

"They've been running around, keeping secrets. Like what might be in the Old Village." Jesse pondered this for a moment. Then, he smiled and nodded. "Heh, guess I'm in."

Olivia grinned.

"Hah! Good!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shadows of Ice is a reference to a World of Warcraft name from the Sunwell Trilogy. Also, the old woman Jesse meets is actually based on a real life person - a neighbor I knew growing up. She was also blind and always gave good advice.


	4. Stuff of Legends

~o~

Jesse walked outside and wandered around his cabin, stunned to find two sheep painted an icy blue color. They ran back and forth, letting out terrified yelling sounds as the bells tied to their legs rang loudly. It was chaos. He threw his hands in the air with a yell of frustration.

"What in the hell?" he snapped.

Olivia watched him from atop of the cabin, laughing and Jesse heard the sound. He looked up, slouched his shoulders and gave her a funny look.

"Really?" he said. "My sheep?"

"What?" Olivia teased, with a grin. "I have to keep you on your toes, don't I?"

"Hell, I'm plenty on my toes with this supernatural ice business," Jesse gestured to her with a wave of his hand before he placed a cigar into his mouth and lit it. "Still trying to wrap my head around who and what you are."

Olivia hopped down from the roof, opened her mouth to retort, but immediately looked beyond him with a deep, intense frown at the sound of a shout in the distance. Jesse looked over his shoulder, laughed and looked at her now with a wink.

"Sounds like I caught something in my trap. Wait here. I'll handle it."

He smiled to himself, made his way outside before he found one of the many hunters caught in a snare trap he'd set up at the edge of his property. The man was squirming, struggling to undo the snare and looked up when he saw Jesse standing there with his thumbs in his belt, smirking and shaking his head.

"Hey! Hey, get me down from here!" the man protested.

Jesse walked up, glanced down at picked up a handgun. He turned it in his hands for study and shook his head, squeezing the trigger and hitting the man in the chest with the pellet. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest and it rebounded off of him, but he still yelped in pain.

"Oops! I'm sorry," Jesse played, "Itchy trigger finger."

He squeezed another pellet into the man's midsection, earning a pained grunt. Jesse continued to feign an apology as well as shoot several more at the bound man.

"Hey, hey, stop it!" the man cried, angry, "That hurt!"

"Oh, what? You mean this?" Jesse said, grinning and firing the last iron pellet into the man's chest.

"Ow! YEAH!"

Then, Jesse's amusement disappeared from his face and he leaned forward, grabbing the man by the coat and taking a long drag from his cigar before he glared down at him.

"You're running around on my land," he said, "By rights, I can drop you right here and now. So, think twice before you snoop around here, or next time, it won't be iron pellets I put into you. Got me?"

The man looked frightened now and nodded his head. Jesse removed an enormous knife from his boot and cut the rope, sending the hunter tumbling to the ground before he was quickly fleeing. Jesse watched him go, shook his head before he looked down at the pellets on the ground.

He scooped them up, deposited them in his pocket and made his way into the cabin where Olivia was waiting. She was sitting in his chair, feet propped up on the table with a bored frown.

"I could have just killed him, you know," she said.

"Yeah, and what good would that do?" Jesse shook his head. "We have one thing on our side; they don't think I know about you or what's going on. We have to keep that for now."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Now..." Jesse dropped to his knees and deposited the iron pellets to the floor. "I want to know about these and why they hurt you."

Olivia's smile disappeared and she eyed the iron pellets on the floor apprehensively. It was a look that came and went like lightning, but she had no witty retort to offer him this time. She slowly reached out, took one in her hand and Jesse watched with wide eyes when a sliver of smoke began to rise from her palm. But she continued to hold onto it, lips pursed and eyes locked onto Jesse.

"This is what happens." she told him.

Olivia hissed sharply, dropping the pellet to the floor and showing her hand to Jesse - a bright red mark had been left in the shape of the pellet.

"Shit..." he said, quickly gathering them back up. "I'm sorry, I didn't know they'd do that so quick."

Olivia huffed out a sound. "Well, now you do." she quipped. "I don't know why iron hurts so bad, but it does and those _pendejos_ are armed with a lot more than just that handful."

"Hm." Jesse thought about this for a moment. "Why do they want to kill you so badly?"

"Really?" Olivia arched an eyebrow at him. "You're asking me that?" She shook her head with a long-suffering sigh. "Why is it always the cute ones?"

Jesse gave a bark of laughter. "Hey, come on now."

"Look," Olivia continued, the amusement disappearing now, "I know this town is hiding a secret and I think these hunters were hired to kill me. Now I was there, but they took a shot at me before I could get into their old computer systems. Beyond the Old Village is where the mayor's place is. I think I can learn something from them."

Jesse's brow knotted with a thoughtful sound. "So...how do we want to do this?"

Olivia waved her hand, producing a holographic image of an article. "He's hosting a party tomorrow night." she explained, "We can sneak our way in and get to his computers. Then, all I have to do is work my magic."

Jesse smiled broadly. "I like the way you think."

O

Hilda was sitting on a bench, eyes closed. Jesse was walking by with several bags of food when he saw her, sitting outside of the grocery store he had walked into. He paused, tilted his head and approached, unsure of how she looked; but Hilda spoke first.

"I'm not dead, young man, don't worry," she quipped.

Jesse let out a bark of laughter and she patted the spot next to her with one hand. He shrugged, sat down and set his bags beside him.

"How are you doing today?" Hilda asked.

"I'm doing just fine, ma'am. Thank you." He looked at her now. "Were you looking for me, or is this just a happy coincidence?"

"Mm, I'd like to think happy coincidence, really. I was thinking about our talk we had."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yes, it's been a while since I've had anyone kind enough to speak to me," Hilda told him, "My face puts them off. They think I'm bad luck."

Jesse made a face. "Does this whole town run on legends and superstition?"

Hilda chuckled sadly. "You could say that. They were victims of Null Sector all the same," she explained, "So they use my misfortune as a way to make themselves feel powerful."

"Like the story about the Rime."

"Yes. Like that one."

"Do you think the Rime is a bad lady - spirit - or what?"

"I believe that people sometimes displace much of their problems onto someone else, particularly something they believe is much weaker than they are," Hilda explained, "In order to find control in their lives. Whether it's this Rime or another person."

Jesse murmured thoughtfully. "Alright, doc; what about me?" he asked.

"What about you?"

"Do you think I'm displacing?"

"Do you believe you are?"

Jesse frowned at her, then shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in the bench. "I don't know. I thought I did when I was running with my gang, but then things changed. I left them, tried to do the right thing, made things worse and now here I am, trying to start all over again."

"It sounds like you're running from something." Hilda pointed out.

"Huh?"

"I spoke with a young woman who sounded just like you," Hilda continued to explain. "She was very...colorful about it, but she told me she was fine, dismissed everything I said. But in a way, you two have similarities. You're both in denial about your pasts."

Jesse's mind went to Sombra for some reason. That couldn't be who she was talking about. But he couldn't resist his curiosity.

"This lady wouldn't have been speaking Spanish, would she?"

"Yes, she was."

Jesse made a thoughtful noise.

O

Jesse returned to the cabin with the bags of food and Olivia was already there, grabbing one and digging her way through it.

"Finally!" she said, "Did you get what I asked for?"

Jesse nodded his head. He watched as she ripped open a box of cookies and began wolfing them down; he laughed now and shook his head. He set the rest of the bags down and took a seat in his favorite chair before regarding her with a curious tilt of his head.

"Did you ever speak to Hilda?" he asked.

Olivia frowned. "Who?" she asked, with mouthfuls of food. "I'm kind of elusive, you know. I don't do much talking to anybody."

"Old lady? Blind? Scarred up face?"

"Oh..." Olivia's chewing stopped and she swallowed her food before speaking again. "You're talking about flower _vieja_. Yeah, I saw her in the gardens at night. She's blind, so she didn't scream when she saw me. I was trying to get into the Old Village and she heard me. She was...nice, I guess."

"I hear ya'." Jesse replied, distracted with his thoughts for a moment.

Later that evening, Olivia was weaving a pattern of ice in front of Jesse, who looked amazed by the sight. She smirked at him, her hand shimmering with violet light before she clenched it, discharging shards of ice around him that narrowly missed his face.

"So you can really do that?" he asked. "Manipulate ice and snow?"

"Yeah. It gets cold when I get mad." Olivia explained. "I can turn a room into a winter wonderland if I wanted to."

Jesse blinked, stunned. "Wow."

Olivia smiled a little at his mystified tone. "You're easily impressed."

"Well, it ain't every day you meet a lady who can make it snow."

Olivia continued to smile. "Heh. Well stick around. I still have a lot more tricks up my sleeve."

O

Jesse was already making his way toward the enormous castle. Several others were also on their way, dressed properly for the party. His eyes scanned every detail of the castle, noticing a few armed guards, turrets mounted along the statues of gargoyles.

"They have traps set up that can catch me if I end up too close. You have to get to them first, amigo." Olivia explained. She reached up, placed a little Comm-link device into his right ear and smiled. "I'll be in touch."

Jesse thought about what she said regarding the traps. Did that mean that the mayor was aware of what she was? It made his suspicions about the hunters and Leonhard grow stronger; whatever was happening, Olivia had been right about it. Something was definitely going on.

"Alright, meet you inside."

Olivia vanished from the truck and Jesse looked around before he shook his head. "Damn. Hate it when you do that." he muttered, to himself.

He made his way to the castle now, thinking hard about how he was going to mingle with this crowd.

It was like his undercover job as a waiter all over again.

The suit he wore was tight against his chest, so he wiggled the tie a bit, frowned and noticed a guard standing there, raising a hand to him.

"Name?" he said.

Jesse smiled pleasantly. "Jesse McCree."

" _By the way, they changed it to invite only at the last second and you're not on the list_." Olivia told him, a grin lit her voice when she glanced briefly toward the guard from her spot at Jesse's truck. " _Ay... este gruñón. Hold up. I'll take care of that for you._ "

It took only a few seconds; she typed in a few keys before Jesse's name was added to the list. The guard looked down, then nodded his approval and stepped aside to allow him to pass. Jesse walked by, tipped his hat with a nod as he entered.

" _There. Now you're in," Olivia told him. "But you'll need to head away from the crowd first._ "

Jesse thought about what she said regarding the traps. Did that mean that the mayor was aware of what she was? It made his suspicions about the hunters and Leonhard grow stronger; whatever was happening, Olivia had been right about it. Something was definitely going on.

O

"Ugh..."

Jesse regarded the crowds with a sound of dismay; they were all too damn rich, too damn smug about how rich they were. The conversations were absolutely boring and he had no interest in mingling with anyone there. But Olivia's voice filled his ear and snapped him out of his thoughts.

" _Hey, you awake there, vaquero?_ "

"Huh? Yeah, I am." Jesse tapped the Comm. "So, uh, what am I looking for?"

" _Toward the back of the first floor, there's a kitchen,_ " Olivia explained, " _On your left. You see it?_ "

Jesse glanced toward the direction she indicated and nodded when he saw the door where several employees were making their way out.

"Yeah, I got it." he replied, "So what do I need to do?"

" _Head through there._ "

"I'll just do that." Jesse was skeptical.

" _Come on. They run on a schedule. Just count to ten and walk right in._ "

Jesse made a thoughtful note, but counted to ten and sure enough, the staff departed from the kitchen. He crept his way through the door and found the kitchen empty.

" _Go toward the third freezer._ "

Jesse frowned, but walked toward the freezer in question and opened it. The plastic curtain was parted with one hand and Jesse was surprised when he noticed another door on the other side. He pushed it open and stepped through, entering a large room where several monitors lined the walls. He studied them in silence for a moment, recognizing images of the town, the Old Village, the entrance to the town and even the edge of the forest nearby.

The mayor had been watching everyone.

" _Hey, are you going to disarm those traps, or what?_ " Olivia quipped, over the Comm.

Jesse snapped out of his distracting thoughts before he looked around. "Hold up." He looked down at the console before tilting his head. "What do I do?"

" _It's simple. A child could do it,_ " Olivia explained, with a laugh, " _You just have to bypass the - Okay, hit the bright yellow button on your left first._ "

Jesse did as she said.

" _Now type in seven, four, seven, eight, twenty, six, and two._ "

"Okay. Done deal."

" _Finally, all you have to do is pull that lever on your right._ "

Jesse spotted the lever and pulled it down. Immediately, the sounds of gears clicked through the air. A small door opened to his right and he watched Olivia jump right through it. She smiled and winked at him.

"Well, good job." she said. "Not as dumb as you look after all."

Jesse laughed now and shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, I get that a lot."

Olivia looked down at the console before her and she raised her hands, ribbons of purple light flowing from them and into the computers. She worked quickly and Jesse watched her for a moment before he smiled his approval.

"You're pretty good at this kind of stuff." he said.

"Been doing it forever." Olivia replied, with a smirk of her own.

"So what do you think you're gonna find in these files?"

"You'll see."

She brought up a holographic readout of various tables of data. With a simple wave of her hand, several more screens were laid out in front of her and Jesse watched them with amazement.

"So..." Olivia began. "The Old Village was the sight of the Omnic Crisis before it was rebuilt. The mayor commissioned an outside party for construction. Not really impressive, to be honest. Mr. Albert Giacometti..."

Jesse leaned forward to look. "What's it say about the Omnic Crisis?"

"Omnics were forbidden to step foot here in Zermatt," Olivia continued, glancing at the screens. "Hmm, look at this! Looks like the Old Village was overrun when the barriers went down. Null Sector came through and killed nearly everyone there. Few survivors - It mentions the old woman, Hilda - were there when Albert arrived just in time to save them."

"Sounds like a crock of shit." Jesse muttered.

Olivia gave a bark of laughter and glanced at him. "Told you."

"Anybody else involved with this guy?" Jesse asked, studying one of Olivia's screens.

"Yeah, if you don't count the hunters. Says here he has a _tio_ outside of the town; Louis Giacometti," Olivia continued, "He was sent to prison for fraud, but got out on bail. He's been hiding ever since. Well, not for long."

"So, say we get this guy..." Jesse frowned thoughtfully at her. "Then what?"

"We see what he knows about Albert. We get him to talk."

Jesse thought about that plan.

A shame he ended up doing exactly what he'd done before he'd come here. Trouble always found a way at his doorstep, it seemed.


	5. Reflections

~o~

Jesse made his way through the crowds of people, determined to get out of the castle as soon as possible before someone eventually figured out that he wasn't supposed to be there. Olivia had already left to wait for him in the truck so that they could discuss their findings.

Then, Jesse glanced up, surprised when he noticed a much older man suddenly in his path.

He was dressed in a red suit, wore a black tie and had a pin to his lapel. Jesse couldn't quite make out the design of it. He had short grey hair and warm eyes.

"Well! If it isn't our American friend!" he greeted, extending his hand for a shake, "It's a pleasure to see you here at this party."

Jesse shook his hand with a smile. "You gotta be Albert. I heard a lot about you."

Albert smiled brightly. The notion seemed to please him. "Really? I certainly hope so, _Kumpel_. I've heard quite a bit about you." he replied. Off of Jesse's frown, he laughed gently. "Oh! Don't look so worried! You're the American man living in the mountains who dares to do so after all the rumors!"

"Yeah. Well, I'm not a guy who just backs out at the first sign of danger."

"No, you're not, are you?" Albert said, his tone thoughtful now as he eyed Jesse up and down. He put an arm around Jesse's shoulder and guided him to walk alongside him. "What do you think of it? The stories?"

Jesse shrugged his shoulders. "Don't pay much mind to rumors and superstition." he replied. "I believe the bad things are usually the kinds of things we see right in front of us."

"Hmm," Albert regarded him for a moment before nodding in agreement. "You're right. Still! I hope you don't plan to leave so soon! It's a party! We're celebrating the anniversary of the treaty between Omnics and humans."

"Treaty?"

"Yes, I spoke to the Omnic leaders who arrived here at the Old Village." Albert explained, "And the fighting had ceased between us. Everyone knows of it! This day is meant for all of us to enjoy."

Jesse said nothing on that particular statement, but just tipped his hat with a pleasant smile. "I appreciate the hospitality. But I have some traps I need to check on and I gotta be up early for my morning hunt. It was nice meeting you, sir."

"Pleasure speaking with you, _Kumpel._ "

Jesse made his way through the crowds, but felt Albert's eyes on the back of his head. He had a feeling that he'd definitely meet the other man again.

Most likely in bad circumstances. That's how it always went.

Once he was at his truck, he found Olivia sitting there, scanning his radio with her hands hovering over it. There hadn't been anyone else around to see her, but it still seemed risky for her to be seen. Just as he started to speak, she made a face, gave him a funny smile.

"Your taste in music is terrible." she remarked.

"Aww, come on," Jesse pressed walking to the driver's side and taking a seat. "You just haven't heard the good ones, yet. I'll show ya'."

He switched on a new song - "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On" and began to sing with it, clapping the steering wheel with both hands as they drove down the street. Olivia sat there, staring at him in disbelief before she shook her head, raising her hand and hacking the radio to play something else. "Bangarang", by Skrillex.

Jesse looked like he tasted something foul. "Dubstep? Oh, hell no, not in my truck."

He changed it back to his song of choice, but Olivia looked at him and switched it right back. Jesse raised an eyebrow and switched it again. Olivia just switched it right back. And so they continued to do that for the duration of the trip back to the cabin.

Jesse sat in the truck for a moment, shaking his head with dismay. "No one appreciates good classics, anymore." he muttered, stepping out.

Olivia laughed, waving her hand in the air. "Classics, right. Songs about beer and trucks."

"Hey!" Jesse feigned insult. "That's not all they sing about. There's also women."

"Ooh! You got me!" Olivia drawled, waving two hands in the air.

They entered the cabin and Jesse got to work starting a fire. Olivia watched it for a moment; the dancing flames that cast a warm glow on her face. She smiled and stretched, wiggling her toes and Jesse noticed the sharp nails at the end of them. He had so many questions about her existence.

"So...I read that a Rime spirit is someone who's given up their humanity," he said.

"Yeah." Olivia replied, "I used to be human, sure. But that's behind me now. The girl I used to be is gone."

Jesse thought about what Hilda had told him; maybe in a way, they really were similar. After all, she wasn't the only one who had tried putting the past behind her. Jesse wanted to forget about it, even when Ana had brought it up to him once.

_Don't think about it right now._

Olivia grunted, stretched a little before she stood up, turning around. "I'm going to have a plan to deal with Louis," she told him. "I hope you're ready for it."

Jesse's smile disappeared when he had a good look at Olivia's back; a long, hideous scar was there, too methodically placed to have been an accident. What had happened? He wanted to ask her about it, but didn't know if that would be a good idea.

"I'm going to go," Olivia told him.

"Wait, hang on," Jesse offered, standing, "You don't have to run out. You can stay here, take my room and I'll crash in my chair."

Olivia debated that for a moment. Then, she smirked at him, raised an eyebrow. "You trust me with that, do you?"

"Since we're gonna be working together on this, I think we have to have a little trust, don't you?"

Olivia's smile disappeared somewhat, but she shrugged her shoulders. " _Qué lindo_. It's sweet of you to be so generous, but I don't sleep. At all."

Jesse blinked, surprised to hear that. "Oh, is that like...a Rime thing?"

"Don't know." Olivia answered, "It's always been like that. But..." A smile lit her lips and she chuckled. "Don't sweat it. I have planning to do. You do the sleeping."

And without another word, she turned and left the cabin.

Jesse sat alone, sighed and took a cigar from his pocket, placing it into his mouth. He leaned back, lit it and shut his eyes, thinking on the whole situation.

O

Hilda was kneeling in the gardens, smelling the flowers.

She could hear approaching footsteps and lifted her head, looking around before she chuckled. "I've grown to know the sound of your footsteps" she said.

Jesse was approaching her and he smiled, taking a seat beside her. "Yeah, figured you might."

"Hey, I had to ask," Jesse began, "What do you know about Albert?"

"The mayor?" Hilda chuckled, "What isn't there to know about him? He's a hero."

"Come on..." Jesse slouched his shoulders, "I know that's not true. There's got to be more to the stories I'd heard about how he saved the town from the Omnics."

Hilda's smile thinned a little and despite having no eyes, she still managed to look so thoughtful. "Albert was always a smarter man than he looked - well, before I lost my eyes," she explained, "He talked about Omnic rights only once, but it wasn't well received by the townspeople. They were ruled by fear and xenophobia and they felt that Albert was going to turn his back on them and help the Omnics."

"That's ridiculous." Jesse shook his head.

"It is, but people will often choose a path that benefits themselves."

"Do you believe he's hiding something?"

"There's no doubt in my mind. Why do you believe the Old Village is closed off?"

Jesse frowned now. "Wait, they closed it off? No more tours?"

"No. No more tours. They have their little toy soldiers patrolling it now and I can sometimes hear the searching they're doing."

That was interesting. What if there was something in the Old Village that the mayor was hiding from everyone and he worried over who would find it? Maybe that's exactly why Jesse had been stopped before. They had probably been lying to him.

Hilda plucked a flower in her hand. She sighed, then tilted her head toward him with a smile. She sniffed a little and chuckled. "It's getting colder. There may be snow tonight."

"Yeah, probably." Jesse thought of Olivia, for some reason.

He returned to the cabin and found her inside, working on the holographic screens that lit up the room.

"Louis Giacometti...he's gonna be fun to talk to," Olivia said, with a smirk.

On one of the screens, there was an image of an older man with sunken eyes, white hair and beard. It looked like a mugshot and Jesse leaned forward a little to look.

"He looks like he's seen better days," he quipped.

"The guy's superstitious," Olivia explained, "Even more than the rest. He was put in jail for - wow, look at all this. Looks like Albert's _tio_ is the black sheep of the family. He's done it all, but time's made him paranoid. How much do you want to bet he knows what we want to know?"

"Well, if he's an easily jumpy old guy, we should be careful." Jesse pointed out.

"Don't worry. I know a thing or two about being careful."

Jesse raised his eyebrows skeptically.

O

Louis walked down the hallways, clutching a cup of coffee in hand.

His old hands shook as he held it toward his lips, but paused and glanced over his shoulder, frowning thoughtfully when he heard something shift behind him. His coffee cup in his hand gradually became engulfed in a thin layer of ice. Louis looked down, gave a yelp and dropped it, sending the contents splattering to the floor.

"No! No, she's here!" he cried, fleeing down the hallways.

He turned a corner and Jesse's foot was out, sending him tripping to the floor. He cried out in German, looked down at the blue-nailed feet in front of him before he looked up at Olivia, who grinned and waved down at the frightened man.

"Hey." she hissed, with glee, "Running somewhere?"

"It - It's you!" Louis cried, staggering backwards. "No, no, don't eat me, please!"

Olivia scoffed, rolling her eyes before she put her hands at her hips. "Ugh, gross. Why does everyone thing I want to eat them? If I was eating anyone, it wouldn't be you, _panocha._ "

Jesse knelt down to him, put a heavy hand on his shoulder and Louis jumped with a small whimper. "Look, we know about your rap sheet," he explained, "We know you helped your nephew extort money from Omnic shelters. We know that you helped him cover it up. But we want to know what's going on in that Old Village. We need to know the truth about the 'treaty' because Albert's not quite telling the truth."

Louis glanced at Olivia, unable to take his eyes away. "She... She's real..." he breathed.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Jesse rolled his eyes, annoyed, "Focus, old man. We need the truth."

Louis stammered slightly when Olivia knelt down behind him, removing a machine pistol from behind her and tapping it against his head. She chuckled and he spoke now, frantic.

"What? Huh? What?" he said, "What are you talking about? No, no, no, no, no. I only know what my ridiculous nephew wanted to do, I didn't help him with anything."

"Ohh, you didn't?" Olivia continued, in a low drawl, "I find that hard to believe, Louis. Especially since those hunters are old buddies of yours."

Louis laughed nervously now. "Y-Yes, they are, but I never sent them to kill you."

Olivia sucked her teeth, producing a series of screens in front of him; several of them involved security footage of his dealings with Leonhard and the hunters.

"Oh! You mean, that's not you in the footage?" she queried.

"Yes, it's me," Louis said, "But it isn't what it looks like. You have to understand what you are and what threat you pose to my nephew and this town. I told them to keep you away, that's all."

"I pose a threat?" Olivia smiled fiendishly and leaned forward, her face inches from his. "Are you sure about that? You sure it's not that _pendejo_ of a nephew who threatens you? No? Take a good look, Louis Giacometti; really think about what he might be hiding in the Old Village."

Louis stared at her, unresponsive and afraid. Jesse frowned and looked at Olivia. "Hey, I don't think he actually knows anything."

Olivia murmured thoughtfully before chuckling. She leaned back a bit, studying the man with amusement. "You don't know at all, do you? Hm, sad, really. Your own family can't even trust you with information." She sighed dramatically, waving a dismissing hand in the air. "If you can't trust family, then who can you trust?"

The room began to grow colder and Jesse looked around, then to Louis, who began to shiver and hold himself tightly. A layer of ice began to cake itself on the windows. Yet, Olivia still stood calmly with that same cocky smile, but the look in her eyes was different.

"No one hunts me down and gets away with it, _mi amigo,_ " Olivia said, her tone dropping a colder register.

"Hey, hey, listen," Jesse assured her, raising two hands, "He's just an old guy. Half the town probably doesn't believe him away. He's not worth it."

"No, this rat who cowers in his house knows what happened to me and why I woke up like this!" Olivia showed her teeth.

"What?" Jesse blinked in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? Look, just - "

He could see his breath now as he spoke and looked down at Louis, who shuddered uncontrollably; the older man rubbed his arms, whimpering with fright and cold. It began to chill Jesse and he shivered. Olivia shut her eyes once, took a breath before the cold dissipated.

She leaned down to Louis and smiled. "I'm not going to kill you, _panocha_. But I know you know something. I'll pry it from your head one way or another."

Olivia tapped his head with one long finger and he winced once before grunting, licking his lips. "My nephew did speak to the Omnics and they halted the battle at the gates of the Old Village." Louis explained, hesitantly. "I was with him while we waited in the castle. He told me he had a plan and that it was insane, but it would ensure our family's future."

"So what did he do after that?" Jesse asked.

Louis sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know. I stayed out of sight for a while." he admitted. "People outside were crying, I..." He took a shuddering breath. "I heard children screaming for their parents. I didn't go out yet. I was counting the minutes down. I smelled...the burning metal..."

"And?" Olivia was impatient.

"And he came back, saying he knew what to do. He didn't share much with me after that but..." Louis hesitated again, "Things got better for us. Our scientists began to work on technology we'd never even dreamed of. We prospered."

Olivia grinned coldly now. "Yeah, you did. Until I found out what you were doing. How you got to where you were thanks to the Omnics."

"What?" Louis looked stunned. "What do you mean?"

Olivia showed her teeth, laughing softly. "Oh! He didn't tell you, did he? Why he disappeared that night when I was there at the Old Village. Why I woke up like the Rime? No. He only gave me a false lead and put a knife in my back and let me take the blame for everything that goes wrong in your town."

Louis blinked once, studied Olivia with shock on his face. "I know you," he whispered, after studying her for a long time. He grinned now. "I know you." He nodded rapidly now, frightened and frantic. "I knew I knew you. I knew I knew you."

Jesse looked at Olivia now. "What's he talking about?" he demanded. "Hey, what'd he mean?"

Olivia ignored him, continuing to smile at Louis. In his delirious eyes, he saw her as a human; augmented, glowing bands on her head, bright violet eyes.

Louis' smile faded and he looked unsettled now. "But you can't be her," he whispered, shakily, "He took your pulse, you were dead. There's no coming back from that. This is the real world. You don't come back."

Olivia sucked her teeth, pointing her gun at his head now. "Sorry, _pendejo_. Don't think you're walking away like I am."

Jesse took her wrist, stopping her. "Wait!" he insisted, "Don't - "

She squeezed the trigger, spraying Jesse's face with blood and silencing Louis' frantic chants. When she saw Jesse's haunted look, she shrugged and frowned, rolling her eyes with disappointment.

"What?" Olivia asked.

O

"You owe me an explanation. Now."

Olivia sighed, vanishing in a swirl of ice once they stepped outside. When she reappeared, she was hanging her legs off of the roof of the house while Jesse paced around, glaring up at her.

"Wow, someone's mood just took a dive, huh?" she joked, "Considering we got a lot of info we needed, I thought you'd be in a better mood."

"Yeah?" Jesse snapped. "Well, that isn't exactly comforting right now. You just shot that guy! You're hiding more from me and I ain't gonna keep on running this job until you explain everything."

Olivia sighed, rolling her eyes. She noticed Jesse's determined look and slouched her shoulders, crossing her legs before her eyes darkened as the memories slowly returned.

"I came here after doing my research about a guy who knew things," she explained, "Things about the Omnic Crisis that could tie him in with people. People who knew more than anyone else. These people I've been trying to track for a long time."

Jesse frowned. He waited for her to continued.

"Anyway..." Olivia continued, waving one hand, "I have this...friend. He happened to hear about this place - the Old Village. I found some security footage of guys snooping around, documents of dealings with Omnics. But you know, nothing special." She smiled fiendishly now. "So, I didn't really see a point to this place. It wasn't until old Albert saw me that he gave me a 'friendly warning'."

"Friendly warning? How?" Jesse asked, features smoothing out.

"He was going to 'educate me about what happens to people who snoop around town'." Olivia laughed, shaking her head. "So I thought 'wow, guess there's something here after all if he's going through all that trouble'. So..."

"You couldn't resist."

"Hah. Never could." Olivia replied, with a wink. She was silent now for a moment, her eyes darkening and her smile disappearing. "So I went to that Old Village and...I ended up stabbed in the back. When I woke up, I was in the forest and I looked like this."

Jesse pondered this for the longest time in silence; he never had faith in magic of any kind. He had no idea what kept Olivia alive and how she'd been saved - Who had saved her, anyway? If she'd died in that Old Village, someone had to have brought her to the forest, right?

Nothing made sense, even after the explanation. But he did know one thing:

Albert was responsible for her death. And he was hiding secrets about the Omnics and that had her killed when she'd gotten too close.

"Listen, _vaquero_..." Olivia vanished in a swirl of ice, then reappeared on the ground beside Jesse. "I'm not the bad guy, here, whatever you think. The only one who hasn't lied to you is me. But..." She shrugged her shoulders. "How could I have known to trust you?"

Jesse sighed, nodding. "Suppose that's a fair assessment."

Olivia made a short laugh and looked away briefly, shutting her eyes. "You have monsters, McCree. Some of them look might look like me..." She reached back, unlatching a few clasps on her armor that protected her upper spine with a pneumatic hiss. "Then you got monsters like Albert who would sooner stab you in the back to save his own ass."

She turned, revealing her bare skin and the long, terrible white mark where she had clearly been stabbed. Jesse's eyes widened slightly and he could feel the cold wafting from her body now.

Olivia fitted her armor back on, smirking up at him now as she turned. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Albert's going to get what he deserves."

Olivia grinned now, laughing. "That's more like it!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this chapter was inspired by the song "Starlight" by Marina and the Diamonds.

**Author's Note:**

> I had fun writing a McSombra Rime/Mountain Man McCree short fic so much that I decided to do a multichapter fic with them. I can't promise it won't have its share of angst either. q5dis on tumblr is responsible for inspiring the ship and I just love it!


End file.
